WASHINGTON (AP) — A program designed to foster a new generation of young African leaders will be renamed after former South African President Nelson Mandela.

President Barack Obama, who has said he was one of the untold millions of people around the world who were inspired by Mandela’s life, is set to announce the name change at a town hall-style event Monday in Washington with several hundred young leaders from across sub-Saharan Africa. […..]

As I expressed a few months ago Climate Change is probably the one action item on the President’s agenda that I simply didn’t have a passion for. It’s not that I’m not environmentally conscience or concerned about our Climate it’s just not something that I felt comfortable selling to the public.

Then along comes this gawd awful war and after the last few days of watching Israel bomb the hell out of Gaza the activist in me was itching to get something else on my mind.

So last week when my old OFA Director called me and asked if I would attend a rally and press conference on Climate Change I jumped at the chance to get involved in something meaningful that would help spur awareness of the President’s cause.

Today at the EPA a few hundred of us rallied in support of clean energy. Delaware Governor Jack Markell spoke of how he has reduced Delaware’s energy consumption by 15%. Two of the US Senates strongest voices on how to combat climate change Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Jeff Merkley of Oregon spoke on the President’s plan to double the production of clean energy by 2020 and to prepare us for the impacts of climate change.

We also had a representative from VotoLatino whose name escapes me but he spoke passionately about the impact of climate change on the Latino community.

All in all it was a wonderful experience. Being in the presence of members from “Moms Clean Air Force” and members of the “Sierra Club” and seeing their passion for clean air was indeed an inspiration for me. I’m still not sure that I would be the best at selling climate change to the deniers but because of today I feel a few steps closer to that maybe becoming a reality.

Donna, thank you so much for this eye-witness report! You speak movingly of how participation in a positive event can restore a sense of power and optimism. I wish I could have been there with you to support my awesome Senator, Jeff Merkley, and the EPA!

Thanks Donna for this update! And good for you for getting inspired today – why in no time, you too will be able to explain why you support climate change. Just focus on one aspect – like clean energy,- that’s what I’m doing🙂

Donna, Your story really resonated with me. I tagged along a few months ago to an anti-fracking rally in NYC even tho we are not fracking in New York State and it is an issue I care about but not as much as i should.
Much to my surprise I learned that NY may not frack, itself, but the rally was held on the exact spot where fracked gas comes into New York via a pipeline from PA!!!
Eye-opening. and my point is when you learn more, even if it isn’t a pet issue, learning is a really good thing.

Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in California in 2010, is diving back into electoral politics.

For now, her work is focused on pushing back against Democrats’ claim of a Republican-led “war on women” in the 2014 midterms. But her recent moves in the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire have convinced some she’s eyeing a bigger prize come 2016. […..]

I didn’t watch all the vids shared in this link. In fact I only watched a minute or so of the first ones (because I don’t like depressing myself. OTOH, I like young people (from a distance?), so I have been wondering for days now what impact all this murdering destruction was having on young Israelis. The last video in the group, at least the part of it I watched gave me a few answers. Like the Obamas with their faith in youth, I’m hoping a younger Israel will step up to the plate and say ‘enough is more than enough!’

What is Israel doing to its young people with its hatred and lies? 2006 video – I could only watch the 1st 11 mins. http://t.co/y8qO9VTHat

Burck pledged that a staffer would be able to testify that McDonnell considered Williams her “favorite playmate.” He added that the two exchanged 1,200 phone calls and text messages during McDonnell’s indictment on corruption charges for the gifts she received from Williams in exchange for promoting his dietary supplement company.

The US Congress, a good portion of them are confused. The confusion comes in their dependency of the AIPAC support, the fear of being accused as being anti-Semitic. The Dem public wants fairness. The Dems in Congress if given a truth serum would want the same……Hence, my chosen word: Confused.

As this map and the Cheney Golan Heights oil deal become better known we may see more enlightened Americans.

Dick Cheney maintains to this day that we were successful in Iraq even though China and The Netherlands got the first and best oil deals.
What?? If it was all about the oil, how were we successful??

The oil was one part but the other perhaps larger part of the Iraq/Afghan Wars was the Profit center of Military Sales: equipment hardware, bullets, tanks, surveillance equipment, and in Afghanistan especially containment systems. Walls, checkpoints.

The American people will have no more talk of war expressed in a resounding revulsion against boots on the ground. No Libya, no Syria, no Ukraine. No. No. No.

So, what is Sen. McBomber and the Cheney Group to do? Hmmmm…

I know. Assist Israel. The American people are told that The Iron Dome is for offense only. This is nonsense on a par with praying for your neighbors that their homes be safe from tigers. Israel is not defending itself any more than you need to worry about tigers.

Eventually
The slaughter in Gaza is so appalling that truth starts to seep into the slowest of our people.

We can ask for no American money for Iron Dome or Golan Oil Exploration. If israel is determined to exterminate an entire population, we can ask Please not in my name.

Wonderful and important news. It is so good of you to share this, Nena. Very important to celebrate the good news, and there has been quite a lot of it in the last few days, in the midst of Ukraine and israel. Thank you.

You know I rarely ever talk about that grifter Sarah Palin but I just read a comment on Facebook where someone referred to her a “Quitting Bull”. I just about lost it. Funniest thing I’ve heard all day🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

This is what I have calling for for years. Dems speaking in unison thunderously defending pres Obama and then, making their case to have the TBGOPers try to defend their actions…….this also includes going and demanding equal time in the media……and when need be, call the media out too.

[If you’re hungry, get something to eat before reading this article! 🙂 ]

JOHANNESBURG —
Silver blades of high-tensile carbon steel flash inside the kitchen of the inner city restaurant known as The Blackanese.

Sushi chef Themba Khumalo sharpens the blades, saying he feels naked without his treasured Japanese knives.

“If you don’t have a knife, you don’t have sushi,” Khumalo said. “You have to sharpen your knives each and every morning when you come to work.”

Khumalo is perfecting the art of fusion cooking, the delicate art of combining cultural and culinary traditions. The Johannesburg chef’s unique mission is to ‘Africanize’ the Asian delicacy sushi, to get more black people to eat it. […..]

Just found out that FLOTUS was at this restaurant down the street from my building yesterday. They had the whole restaurant! Wish I’d known! I would have parked my derriere right there! Didn’t hear any vehicle palaver, wonder if they walked from the WH.

Today at the White House, I was delighted to host a roundtable discussion with leaders from across the aging community who came together to discuss the White House Conference on Aging, which will take place in 2015 – the 50th anniversary of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act, as well as the 80th anniversary of Social Security

On the Horizon: The 2015 White House Conference on Aging: Today at the White House, I was delighted to host a … http://t.co/rqqU67VMRX

President Barack Obama’s Young African Leadership Initiative has brought hundreds of young Africans to the United States for a six-week program aimed at building their knowledge and skills in fields such as public administration and business. Out of the 50,000 young Africans who applied for the program, just one percent was accepted. VOA’s Laurel Bowman caught up with some of those who made the cut and has this report.

[If you happen to have The Africa Channel on your TV (boo-hoo, not in my zip), check out this show.]

Africa On A Plate

Chef Lentswe Bhengu is on a culinary journey through Africa to find the perfect ingredients for great cuisine – the food and culture of Africa, inspired by people he encounters along the way. And then back in the kitchen he combines these elements into his own recipes, showing us how to do it, his way.

In this first season Bhengu travels throughout mostly South Africa, introducing viewers to the foods of his country, while also exploring the local culture along the way.

Lentswe will introduce a new dish that he’s about to try as he heads to each location. Helping him out will be a lineup of characters – from the country’s top chefs to its street food vendors; from its coastal fisherman to expert tour guides and even the average man on the street.

The teaching moment in each episode will happen when Lentswe takes us into his kitchen. Having gathered what he’s learned and adding a few of his own ingredients, he shows us how it’s done, his way.

By the end of each episode, viewers will have a new recipe and come away with a new appreciation for the people, culture and food that they would never have been aware of if not for Lentswe dishing out Africa On A Plate.

Today John Boehner declared that any talk of Republicans impeaching President Obama is a sinister plot originating in the White House, from which so many other sinister plots have come. “It’s all a scam started by Democrats at the White House,” he said. “This whole talk about impeachment is coming from the president’s own staff and coming from Democrats on Capitol Hill. Why? Because they’re trying to rally their own people to give money and show up in this year’s elections.” Which is partially true. Democrats do want to talk about impeachment, and it does help them raise money (though while an actual impeachment would certainly get Democratic voters to the polls in November, it’s much less likely that just talking about it will do so). But that’s only part of the story.

….

Like so many of their problems, this one has its roots in the uncontrollable Tea Party beast that they nurtured but can’t control. It’s true that the only prominent Republicans explicitly calling for impeachment are ones like Michele Bachmann, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.), or Sarah Palin. But you can see the quandary in people like Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), who was on Fox News Sunday this week, and when Chris Wallace tried to pin him down to say that Republicans wouldn’t impeachment Obama, Scalise wouldn’t do it.

The conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama was tense and tough, according to a report on Channel 1 Tuesday evening.

Based on a transcript of the conversation, obtained by Israel’s channel 1, Obama “behaved in a rude, condescending and hostile manner,” the network’s foreign correspondent concluded.

During the 35-minute conversation on Sunday, the president reportedly demanded that Israel should immediately and unconditionally end the operation.

When Netanyahu asked what Israel would get in return for unilaterally ending the strikes, Obama replied: “I believe Hamas will stop firing rockets – quiet in return for quiet.” To which Netanyahu responded that Hamas has already violated 5 cease-fires and is committed to the destruction of Israel.

“I repeat and expect Israel to stop all of its actions against Hamas in Gaza,” Obama said. He added that despite Netanyahu’s objections the United States trusts Qatar and Turkey’s mediation. “Israel is not in a situation that it can choose its mediators,” the president told his Israeli counterpart.

Netanyahu in response: “Hamas will continue firing rockets on Israel and use their tunnels to attack our people.”

At this point, Obama interrupted the Israeli leader, stating, “the ball is in Israel’s court, and it must end all military activities.

No POTUS in 238 yrs of our existence has ever been sued by Congress. Instead of Karl and DC/NY idiots question that……their bigoted knee-jerk Elitist bent up nose is to question the Accused, the one being sued, the Injured party, the POTUS and the Dems?

The history of the GOP in modern times is known. They Shut the gov’t down Twice in the 1990s. They decimated our economy. They impeached Bill Clinton. They ignored warning on OBL and on 9-11-01, USA was attacked. They have used Filibusters at a record high. They have held US hostage and caused a down grade of our Credit for the 1st time in 235 yrs. They have obstructed beyond reason. They shutdown the Gov’t again in 2013….the cost is well over 24B. They have been talking about this president as the Other, the Alien, the Enemy, etc, etc.

And Now Karl is questing this president? Where was Karl when 19 GOPers held a meeting to destroy this president? Where was Karl when Issa and Co cooked up total rubbish to marginalize this president? Hell, Karl was cheering and making up stories. Go directly to blazes, Jon Karl.

This whole, “it’s the WH that wants this impeachment” talk was escalated by none other than Chuck Todd. I saw a clip of him on Morning Joke saying that the WH wants this talk of impeachment to escalate. Within hours of him saying this the Right in unison started saying that the WH started the talk about impeachment.